Thebes

Die Hard (1988)

John McClane (Bruce Willis) is at an office Christmas party when the building is taken over by terrorist. One of the best action films of all time. Bruce Willis is superb as the prototypical American hero, and Alan Rickman hams it up as the “terrorist” leader. It’s the film that pretty much created the modern action film, and it’s sure a fun ride.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)

Or: Die Hard in an airport. Follows the Aliens dictum for sequels: if you can’t make it better, make it louder. And it’s certainly action-packed, but it’s let down by the ludicrous plot and the sometimes headache-inducing editing. Still, it’s fun to watch Bruce Willis reenact the American Monomyth again, and Harlin does know how to shoot an explosion.

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

This time, Willis gets some help from Samuel L. Jackson as they play a deadly game of Simon Says all over New York City. Even dumber than Die Harder, but the action set-pieces are still fun to watch and the Willis/Jackson dynamic is all right once they get past the initial idiocy and settle into the film.

Life Free or Die Hard (2007)

As is customary for Die Hard sequels, Live Free or Die Hard (worst title yet, and the rest-of-the-world version, Die Hard 4.0, isn’t much better) is dumb but fun. It’s basically a series of effects sequences strung together by something that is almost but not entirely unlike an intelligent plot.